Page 129 of The Bet
Chapter 37
He bought a BMW as a runaround while he waited for his beloved Ferrari to get repaired.
And in the week of all this mayhem, Izzy had had to rush home. She’d told him she would explain all when she got back, and this time, he’d made sure she caught a flight back. There was no point in spending 9 hours on a train to get home when she could do it in so much less.
He had intended to see her, to try and figure out where they were headed, to gauge the depth of her feelings. But with her sudden trip home, his plans for the weekend had been thwarted.
So when Savannah asked him if he could babysit Jacob because she and Tobias had another charity fundraising event to attend, he willingly agreed.
And that was how he’d ended up spending his Saturday night looking after the kid instead of spending time with Izzy.
“Today, buddy, we’re going to do whatever you want.” That was what he’d told Jacob two hours ago, and the little guy had been in his media room, having fun playing on the games consoles ever since.
Luke had called him earlier, asking him to pass by the bar later on, if he was free. “I’m busy, dude. Why don’t you come over to my place?” He had expected Luke to decline, but when he quickly agreed, it surprised him. Luke pretty much kept to himself, and now he found himself wondering what was going on with him.
“How comes you’re so busy all of a sudden?” he asked, when Luke turned up later. “I called you a couple of days ago and they said you were out of state.”
“I was. Got my eye on opening up a couple of new bars. One in LA and one in Miami, next year.”
“The ones in New York aren’t keeping you busy enough?”
“Always got to be busy doing something,” said Luke, casting his gaze around the apartment. “I haven’t been here for a while.”
“No, you haven’t. Your friends barely see you.”
“My friends come to my bar if they want to see me.”
“I did come. I came last week, but you weren’t there.”
“I’m not always at The Oasis, pal. I have to keep an eye on the other places. In fact, why don’t you call me one day when you’re free? I’ve finally got access to the new place I bought. It’s around the block from you.”
“To live?”
“My next bar.”
“Another bar …” Xavier whistled in amazement at his friend’s drive and ambition. Here he was, still debating whether to proceed with Hennessy or not, and Luke was sprinting ahead, buying up premium real estate and turning it into hugely successful bars and clubs.
“What are you doing these days?” Luke asked, “Or rather,who, should I say? You’re running out of time with Izzy, unless you’ve scored and not told me.”
Xavier peeked over his shoulder, and lowered his voice. “Shhh.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “Is she here?”
“No.”
“Then why the shhhh?”
Xavier shook his head. “Because I’m babysitting.”
Luke looked at him. “Babysitting? You?” He looked around the living area. “Who?”
“Savannah’s son, Jacob.”
“They left him withyou?”
“I’m getting good at this,” Xavier told him. “He’s in the media room, playing on the Xbox.”
“Alone? Unchaperoned? Is that wise, pal? How do you know he’s not playing some 18+ shoot em ups?” Luke shook his head, as if he suddenly knew a thing or two about babysiting. “Anyway, you still haven’t answered my question. Are you close to winning the bet? That’s all I want to know. Is Izzy the lucky girl or not?”
